Certain food combinations may reduce Alzheimer's

People who eat salad dressing, fish, nuts, poultry and certain fruits and vegetables--and fewer high-fat dairy products, red meats and butter--appear less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, say scientists in the June 2010 issue of Archives of Neurology.

More and more epidemiological research links diet to dementia, showing associations with saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, vitamin E, vitamin B12 and folate.

Columbia University Medical Center's Yian Gu lead a study of 2,148 older adults (age 65 and older) without dementia living in New York. Participants provided information about their diets and were assessed for the development of dementia every 1.5 years for an average of four years. During the follow-up, 253 individuals developed Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers found one dietary pattern that was significantly associated with a reduced risk of the disease:

* High intakes of salad dressing, nuts, fish, tomatoes, poultry, fruits and cruciferous and dark and green leafy vegetables

* Low intakes of high-fat dairy, red meat, organ meat and butter.

The combination of nutrients in the low-risk dietary pattern reflect multiple pathways in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, the authors note. “For example, vitamin B12 and folate are homocysteine-related vitamins that may have an impact on Alzheimer’s disease via their ability of reducing circulating homocysteine levels; vitamin E might prevent Alzheimer’s disease via its strong antioxidant effect; and fatty acids may be related to dementia and cognitive function through atherosclerosis, thrombosis or inflammation via an effect on brain development and membrane functioning or via accumulation of beta-amyloid,” they write.